Electronic apparatuses or devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable personal computers, tablets, and digital television sets, etc. generally have communication functions on Internet and can also communicate each other via wired or wireless network. In particular, such intelligent electronic devices are personalized according to user's characteristics and to network environments between devices. For example, smartphones mainly offer personalized Internet services.
The digital television set also allows a user to access Internet thanks to an integrated browser or by means of an Internet compatible external device connected to the television set. Several solutions for forming personalized connections of mobile devices to television sets or to multimedia receivers like decoders are described in the prior art, for example:
The document US 2006/0155653 A1 describes a dynamic authentication system for digital television comprising a mobile phone used by a user in connection with a digital television receiver. The mobile phone is configured for sending and receiving short messages SMS. The television receiver includes a tamper-proof security module in form of a smart card configured for generating a dynamic authentication code to be displayed on the screen of the television receiver. The user reads the authentication code and introduces it in the mobile phone. This authentication code and specific application data are transmitted by SMS to an application server using an authentication code validation system. If this authentication code is accepted, the required service is granted to the user.
The document US 2012/0324076 A1 describes systems and methods for associating or pairing a mobile device with an output device included in an interactive system. More particularly, the mobile device comprising a mobile application is registered with a mobile connection server. In order to activate the pairing, the user introduces a request for a pairing code via the interactive system. In response to the request, the mobile connection server returns a pairing code, which will be displayed by the output device. The user then introduces the pairing code in the application of the mobile device. The mobile application sends the introduced pairing code back to the mobile connection server. In response to a correspondence between the pairing code provided to the interactive system for the output to the user and the pairing code introduced into the user's mobile device and provided to the mobile connection server, the mobile device is paired to the interactive system. The user can then interface with the interactive system by using the mobile device. Furthermore, the user can access personalized contents, order other available contents, and/or authorize a payment for contents or services.
The document WO 03/051024 A2 describes a decoding system for encoded services comprising: a decoder to decode encoded services connected to a monitor, control means cooperating with the decoder and carrying out a service application of text messages for formatting input data into a text message, means for transmission of the text message, and means for reception and display on the monitor of a received text message. The text message service can be a short message service (SMS) allowing a user to send and receive a short message via telecommunication systems such as the GSM mobile system or via a modem on a telephone line. In certain embodiments, the device can be housed in only one box or set top box. The user uses an infrared remote control to enter the short message to be transmitted, which is displayed on the screen of the monitor.
The document US 2012/096503 A1 describes a system and a method to supply support services to client equipment using a service infrastructure based on the IP protocol (Internet Protocol). According to one embodiment, a gateway server is coupled to an IP compatible device via an IP network. The gateway server can supply Internet services to a support application running on the IP device. The Internet services define a set of functions, which can be supported by the client equipment. These functions are managed by a client support application running on the client equipment by supplying an access to certain material and software functions of the client equipment. Besides Internet services, the gateway server can supply network management services which activate or deactivate the pairing of the IP device with the appropriate target client equipment. The gateway server can also authenticate the devices, manage the network resources and carry out the secure transmission of messages between the IP device and the target client equipment. Furthermore, the gateway server can supply a message routing and a relay function which can forward the messages towards one or more distribution and routing servers which cooperate to define a path through the IP network for transmitting the messages between the paired devices.
Generally a pairing between a companion device and a receiver/decoder or a television set can be easily carried out when these devices are connected to the same home network. However, mobile telephones or tablets can be connected to separate networks, as for example the television set is connected to a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) network with IP protocol while the mobile phone is connected to a mobile 3G (UMTS) or 4G (LTE) network or other wireless mobile network. In this case, a pairing cannot be achieved in a simple way by a devices discovery using protocols specific to the home network, because the mobile phone connected to a particular 3G or 4G network will be not visible on the home network.